The Neuroscience of Talent Management; New White Paper From PageUp People Helps HR Professionals Make the Connection

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwire - September 14, 2010) - The discipline of talent management -- how do you win the war for talent acquisition, performance and retention -- isn't new but there are fresh ways of chipping away at this challenge. The latest complimentary white paper from the talent management experts at PageUp People examines the neuroscience of talent management -- what science is uncovering about the brain that can assist with managing talent.

"The impact will be profound," said Sylvia Vorhauser-Smith, author of the newly released whitepaper: The Neuroscience of Talent Management, "and not just in the area of leadership, culture and engagement, although these are key." Vorhauser-Smith, the general manager, Integrated Talent Management at PageUp People noted that the sciences are casting a new light on how we think about cognition and behaviour. "For example, recent studies are showing the immense plasticity of the brain, that is, its ability to change and regenerate cells. Importantly, this has been proven to be a life-long phenomenon, not something that shuts down in our twenties."

The implications of neuroplasticity are particularly interesting in the area of adult learning and development. "As adults, we have great capacity for learning and integrating new concepts and information but the brain doesn't respond well to traditional training methods. We learn through novelty, action and direct personal insights -- we need to experience our own 'a-ha' moments."

Brain anatomy and structure are also providing useful data on cognitive capacity and functioning. "There's a limit to how much new information we can handle each day, how many complex decisions we can make without compromising quality and how effective we can be under stress," commented Vorhauser-Smith. "Most executives are pushed pretty hard, with tough workloads and long days. The emerging research is showing that operating under constant stress disturbs the delicate balance of brain chemicals, shuts down our creative and analytical minds and makes us prone to reactive judgments and decisions that are safe and predictable."

Neuroscience findings are also highly relevant in the area of organizational development and culture. "I can't think of a PageUp People client of that isn't focused on increasing employee engagement. It's the number one goal for many OD and Talent Managers because of its tight correlation with productivity and performance. Engaging employees has everything to do with making strong connections between employees, leaders, the goals and culture of an organization."

"In many ways, the leadership bar has been raised again," continued Vorhauser-Smith. Neuroscience makes really clear the positive and negative effects leadership style and communication can have in the workplace. "In their position of power, leaders have some potent tools at their disposal that can work to create environments in which employees thrive and shine, but also in which they feel threatened and fearful. Leaders really need to understand human functioning better if they are serious about motivating teams and helping individuals reach their potential."

PageUp People is incorporating insights about how people think and what they respond to in innovative technology design as well as change management and consulting associated with all products and services. Vorhauser-Smith shared, "These are new frontiers in how organizations can acquire, nurture and retain talent and tomorrow's leaders are tapping into this knowledge today."

About PageUp PeoplePageUp People assists organisations to acquire and retain the best talent through the development and integrated delivery of innovative talent management systems and solutions. Established in 1997, PageUp People has successfully built upon its beginnings as a custom software developer to create an extensive suite of integrated talent management web-based tools and consulting solutions which are now delivered to some of the world's largest organizations on a global scale. PageUp People is at the forefront of innovation in talent management solutions with global best-practice research underpinning all consulting practices and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. Visit the company's website at http://www.pageuppeople.com